My contention (from looking at my own life and the lives of others) is that we humans often get stuck at a local optimum, and that we lack the faith or the initiative to seek for the global optimum. There are reasons for this.
In the accompanying plot, the vertical axis could be anything you seek in life (e.g., happiness), or anything you wish to eliminate from your life (e.g., fear). I have drawn the curve so that the lower you are on the curve, the better things are for you. The horizontal axis indicates things in your life over which you have direct or indirect control.
Picture yourself at the point labelled "Local Optimum". As far as you can tell, things are going as well as can be expected. How do you know this? You know it by sensing the gradient (or slope) to the left and right of your position. If you move to the left, the curve goes up (meaning: your life gets a bit worse). If you move to the right, the curve also goes up (your life gets worse in that direction also). So, it seems logical to stay where you are. Right?
Well, perhaps not. There may be some much better point (the Global Optimum) where your life would be much happier. But there are two problems:
(1) You probably cannot see the Global Optimum. You may only be able to see for a short distance in either direction from your present location.
(2) Even if you know it is there, your life has to get worse (or at least, harder) before it gets better. There will be sacrifice (moving far up on the curve) before things begin to improve.
Of these two problems, I think that the first is by far the worse. Without a vision of a better place, it is not easy (and, perhaps, not advisable) to set off to find it. This calls for faith, and for the vision of another, who can see both your position and the Global Optimum. The second problem is still daunting for some. One knows of and believes in the existence of the Global Optimum (or even some better Local Optimum), but one seems unable to gather the required strength to climb the hills necessary to reach it. This part calls for courage.
Maybe you fancy yourself to be at your life's Global Optimum; I do not. Today, let us catch a vision of how our lives could be better, more glorifying to God. And let us start climbing.
2 comments:
I have encountered this as an organist, and a music teacher. "I play pretty well already. Why should I try (X...), which is going to be really hard?" And if one does convince the student (or oneself) to try X (let's say "slow practice" or "writing in the fingerings"), at first the curve is genuinely steep, and one's playing does not immediately improve.
Part of the role of a teacher in such situations is to see the "vision of a better place" and somehow help the student see it and believe it to be possible.
Yes, your example is a great one. I agree with your statement about the role of a teacher.
I used to teach high school math and physics. I had the experience of having a student go into engineering as a field, just because I was able to see clearly that he would excel at it. It is a great feeling. I'm sure that your music teaching must be similarly rewarding.
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